FanSided recently released their list of the best fanbases in the NBA, and the Washington Wizards’ fans didn’t make the cut. Here are some reasons why Wizards fans should have been at the top of fandom.
FanSided recently released their 2017 list of the best fanbases in the NBA, Fandom250, and the Washington Wizards’ fans didn’t make the cut. Here are some reasons why Wizards fans should have been at the top of fandom.
Looking at some of the teams that made the list, with all due respect to FanSided, they don’t have a pulse on the heart that beats inside every Wizards fan. A heart that breaks when we lose, a heart that leaps for joy when Kelly Oubre makes a dunk, a heart that skips a beat, if we even see John Wall on the floor a second too long.
A list can’t define who we are as a fanbase, so let’s tell them a little about ourselves.
Wizards fans share a unique and unbreakable bond with this team
The most obvious reason why Wizards fans are the best in the league, is that they’re loyal to a tee. The question of whether John Wall is better than Kyrie Irving has broken up families. No, in all seriousness, the Wizards haven’t won a championship in 40 years, yet their fans have never given up hope.
It’s very easy to be a fan of a team that goes to the Finals regularly, or have a lot of championship banners in the rafters. However, with Wizards fans, they reminisce about the past, but they also have an unbiding hope in the future.
The fact that they don’t bandwagon jump but stick with their Wizards, says a lot about this fanbase. Of course, one could look around Capital One Arena and see people wearing other team’s jerseys. But that’s actually a testament to Wizards’ fans. They welcome everyone, and in turn it’s a nice relaxing atmosphere.
The Washington Wizards have the hashtag DCFfamily. That is not just a marketing ploy, but an idea derived based on how the fans feel about the players. For example, when Otto Porter, Jr. steps onto the floor. Fans chant and clap in unison—”Otto” clap, clap, clap “Porter”. There’s a camaraderie there, that can’t be found anywhere.
When those Otto Porter chants go up, a feeling of nostalgia comes down. Because many of those fans remember Porter from his Georgetown days, he’s one of their own. Homegrown, so love is shown.
Another example of fan loyalty is John Wall. The respect and admiration for the All-Star point guard knows no bounds. If the Wizards traded Wall over the summer? Forget about fans ripping his jerseys. The NBA owners would have to hold an emergency meeting, about where they could relocate the Wizards’ franchise.
Maybe the fans should cheer a bit more during games, and not only get loud when there’s a chance of winning a free chicken sandwich.
However, the fans love every player on this team—from Bradley Beal shooting lights out, Markieff Morris muscling other players, Marcin Gortat putting hammer down, and the productive Wizards bench. It’s not always perfect, but this is the team we have.
So maybe the Wizards fans aren’t considered the best in the league by others. As long as the team knows that we’re here for them, that’s all that matters. Isn’t that how it should be…when you’re family?